Getting Organized

I'm still waiting on our materials to come in, so I'm just winging it right now. And, I have to admit, that this was one of the best Maddie days we've ever had! My oldest daughter had school and then went to her Nana's for the night, so it was just Maddie home all day today. We had so much fun. We did some structured learning with the letter B. We used a couple of handouts that my MIL had copied for me last year from a friend that use to homeschool. We colored, cut, & constructed a bear. We used the magnets (V-Tech & LeapFrog) with the B sounds. We also spent a lot of time working puzzles today. And, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she knows the days of the week!! I have been teaching her the 7 Days of the Week song and when we sang it today, she knew it all herself. =) Also, tonight after dinner I asked her to tell her daddy what letter we worked on today and its sound - and she didn't hesitate to tell him (correctly). Proud mama! I'm really going to start working harder with her on colors. She can separate colors into proper groups. Half the time if I ask her to show me a particular color she can. But, when I ask her what color something is, she doesn't. She did, however, draw a circle & triangle today and called them the correct name. Baby steps!

We had some great one-on-one time with Maddie tonight when hubby came home. We sang, danced, played Memory, and puzzles. After dinner she helped mommy clean the kitchen. Such a big girl! We let her stay up a little later than usual and we snuggled in bed with her to read bedtime stories and sing lullabies. Since she did not take a nap today, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep without a fuss tonight.

So, it was a much needed rainy day today and we did not leave the house at all. Therefore, we spent a lot of time reorganizing and cleaning the basement in preparation for our new Tot School. It is a work in progress, but I'm going to post some pictures.

Large hallway leading to playroom used as storage for crafts, games, etc.

This is Maddie's new class area. We don't have all the materials yet, but this will be our work area.

A view of the playroom. I rearranged to try to make more "zones".  We have our class area, "housekeeping" area with kitchen & table, TV area, and a play area with toy storage & bookshelf.